My scalp is kind of sore?

Hello all!

I stopped brushing my hair almost 3 months ago. I'm trying the natural way of dreading. I wash my hair once or twice a week with Bronner's [either bar or liquid] soap. I usually leave my hair down, unless I'm eating really is the only time I pull it back in a fairly loose ponytail. The last 2 or 3 weeks I have begun to notice a slight soreness of my scalp. Girls and guys with long hair might know this feeling [even before dreads]: like when you have your hair up in a tight ponytail all day and then when you let it down at the end of the night, your head and hair are kind of sore. I know hair can't be sore, but I'm sure someone out there knows what I'm talking about. I don't really notice it until I start moving my hair around with my hands. And I will feel this on almost a regular basis now, even though my hair is down almost 100% of the time.

Is this common? And why does it feel this way?

Thanks (:

updated by @brittany-leigh: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM

This was just discussed on another thread a day or two ago. The most common reason is need to seperate. I find that even a hair or two that is pulled across a distance and sucked into another dread can cause discomfort. Extreme pain or severe sensitivity can be indicators of a medical issue like Fibromyalgia (which I have and asked the member if she could also have). You will also find that you probably are getting them pulled or yanked as you sleep and ofcoarse, as they mature they become much heavier (especially when wet). You shouldn't be feeling weight at three months though. I am at 14 mos. and find my hair very heavy compared to when I started. I usually wear chin length hair. I started at about 6 inches. I have one chunk of mostly undreaded hair and my length is now at my bra (mid back), but the completed dreads that have shrunk are about at the bottom of my neck. So, it is alot of hair wound up on my head. I suggest some massage, since you are not stimulating the scalp normally with brushing...it seems to help me. Oh, and by the way...looked at your page...backcombing is one of the biggest culprits of a sore scalp...especially if done incorrectly or aggressively. I do suggest you stop that

yah i did stop after the 2 sections i backcombed. i did one section in april and one in june, since tho i have left the rest alone. i wasnt sore then (april or june), but am now. and yes, my hair isn't a whole lot heavier than it was before i started this. thats why i was kind of not sure what was up. i will try massaging it. that may relieve some irritation.

thanks.

I'm just wondering if the scalp issues were resolved, and if so, how. I've removed my second set of dreads because of it. This last set were completely natural. They knotted up really, really quick. And it seriously felt like someone had come along and tried to yank a dread from my head. My doctor did mention fibromyalgia at a previous visit because of some other issues, but as far as I know, I haven't been diagnosed with anything. I'm insanely frustrated that I can't just enjoy my dreads. Someone else mentioned maybe doing smaller dreads, that maybe that would help. I don't know. I could just admit defeat and continue to admire dreads, but I really, really miss mine! Sigh. Anyway, just thought I would say, you're so not alone on this one and if you have any solution at all, I would love to hear it!

Can you discuss the possibility of FM with your Dr at greater length to actually determine that you have it rather than theorize? It would be beneficial to know.
When massaging the scalp use the fingertips and go in circular motions to help stimulate blood flow.
In regards to the smaller sections, this will definitely help. Even when the dreads start to grow out the loose hairs can cross over and cause a bit of pain to the scalp where their roots are. I actually used TnR method and had to break up some dreads into smaller ones around the whirl at the crown of my head for this very reason and it definitely helped.

Cathy Givans said:

I'm just wondering if the scalp issues were resolved, and if so, how. I've removed my second set of dreads because of it. This last set were completely natural. They knotted up really, really quick. And it seriously felt like someone had come along and tried to yank a dread from my head. My doctor did mention fibromyalgia at a previous visit because of some other issues, but as far as I know, I haven't been diagnosed with anything. I'm insanely frustrated that I can't just enjoy my dreads. Someone else mentioned maybe doing smaller dreads, that maybe that would help. I don't know. I could just admit defeat and continue to admire dreads, but I really, really miss mine! Sigh. Anyway, just thought I would say, you're so not alone on this one and if you have any solution at all, I would love to hear it!

Thanks Valerie! I'm waiting to get insurance again so I can return to the doctor. I'm starting to suspect thyroid issues for a number of reasons (and thyroid issues have been known to create FM symptoms), but I don't want to get myself all worked up since I can't visit the doctor for about another month. But since you're the second person to say the smaller sections may help, I'm going to give it another go. After all, I can always remove them if it gets to be too painful. My issue, I think, came from the fact that the hair was knotted all the way up against the scalp. I even tried to loosen the hairs, but only succeeded in making my scalp hurt worse, lol. But if the massage can help too, I'll give it a try too.

I suffer from hypothyroidism and have Hashimoto's Disease which means I will be on meds for the rest of my life in order for my thyroid to function. It really is a drag and when I got my symptoms they were drastic.

Good luck with the smaller sectioning and let us know how this turns out for you.

Oh wow. How insane that we bumped into each other! That's actually the one I'm worried about. I only had a few weird symptoms at first, but I always found a way to blow them off, blame them on something else. Now there are just too many to ignore and some have become way too bad to just be accidental. I thought about just paying for the visit, but my husband is eligible for insurance next month, so I thought it couldn't hurt to wait that long. I'm so sorry that you have it. Are your symptoms better now? I really do hope so. I know I don't like feeling this way, and if your symptoms were really drastic, I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been.

Thank you again for the encouragement and the advice. I will, most definitely. I tend to get pretty quiet around here because I'm always busy with one thing or another, but I'm always checking in on people, even if I don't have dreads. I like to oogle. =)